Community Outreach Awards

Food Marketing Institute proudly hosts the Community Outreach Awards as a means of highlighting the oft-unheralded good that grocery stores do. These awards showcase the creative ways food retailers contribute to their community and encourage others to find their way to pay it forward.

Announcing Our 2016 Winners

Youth Development Program Award Winner

Northgate Gonzalez Market's "Cooking Up Change" program provides students from low-income schools with the tools to transform their school lunch menu, develop culinary skills, improve self-esteem, and continue their education in nutrition. Lunches from Cooking up Change have been integrated into the school food menus in public schools and are now served regularly in some districts including Orange County. Learn More

Programs Addressing Food Insecurity Award Winner

The "Double Up Food Bucks" program created by Family Fare, a SpartanNash company, is a public-private partnership administered by Fair Food Network with support provided by federal, state and private sources. For each dollar of fresh Michigan produce SNAP customers purchased an equivalent amount of points will be earned and placed on their yes Card. In 2016, the number of participating stores has more than tripled. Number of customer participation increased 61 percent from August to September. Learn More

Neighborhood Health Improvement Program Award Winner

In September 2016, Food Lion Feeds' Great Pantry Makeover program transformed 38 food pantries in its 10-state footprint in 30 days. Food Lion mobilized its community to eliminate hunger by providing 1.7 million meals in total and more than 1,400 volunteer hours by renovating facilities, providing equipment and stocking pantries. Learn More

"People's Pick" Social Media Award Winner

Hy-Vee, Inc. designed a free, online program to help kids and families make health, exercise and nutrition not only priorities in their everyday lives but also fun! Hy-Vee KidsFit is an interactive health and wellness website for children, teens and families that offers a free, online personal trainer. On average, the program is reaching 1,000 to 2,000 kids each week and adding numerous people to its Facebook fan page, website hits and weekly challenge sign-ups. Through their work with schools and assemblies, the Hy-Vee KidsFit team visited more than 50 schools and reached nearly 21,000 students last school year. Learn More

"People's Pick" Social Media Category - All submissions will be posted on FMI’s Facebook page and the community outreach nominee with the most likes after one week will also be awarded a $1,000 contribution to their program. Join in with #GrocersDoingGood.

Nominations are judged based on store-level, corporate and community participation; addressing a community need; breadth and depth of the program; originality and creativity. Your company must be an FMI Member to win. Nominations are currently closed and will reopening in the Fall of 2017.